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GitHub Actions Workflow Builder - CI/CD YAML Generator

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Build GitHub Actions CI/CD workflows visually. Configure triggers, Node.js version, package manager, and pipeline steps, then get a ready-to-use .yml file.

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Triggers

Pipeline steps

Generated YAML .github/workflows/ci.yml
name: CI

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  ci:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: '20'
          cache: 'npm'

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Lint
        run: npm run lint

      - name: Test
        run: npm run test

      - name: Build
        run: npm run build

How to use this tool

  1. Set the workflow name, triggers, and target branches.
  2. Choose your Node.js version and package manager.
  3. Select which steps to include (install, lint, test, build, deploy).
  4. Copy the generated YAML and add it to .github/workflows/.

What is GitHub Actions?

GitHub Actions is a CI/CD platform built into GitHub. Workflows are defined in YAML files stored in .github/workflows/. Each workflow consists of one or more jobs; each job runs on a runner (a virtual machine or container) and contains a series of steps.

Key concepts

  • Trigger (on:): what causes the workflow to run. Common triggers: push, pull_request, schedule, workflow_dispatch (manual).
  • Runner: the machine that executes the job. GitHub provides ubuntu-latest, windows-latest, macos-latest.
  • Step: a single task within a job. Steps can run shell commands (run:) or use pre-built actions (uses:).
  • Action: a reusable unit of code. Find community actions at github.com/marketplace.
  • Secrets: encrypted values stored in repository settings. Reference with ${ secrets.MY_SECRET }.

Minimal workflow example

on: [push]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - run: echo "Hello, World!"

Trigger types reference

TriggerDescriptionCommon use case
pushOn every push to specified branchesRun tests on every commit
pull_requestOn PR open, synchronize, or closeCI checks before merging
scheduleCron-based scheduleNightly builds, dependency audits
workflow_dispatchManual trigger via UI or APIOn-demand deployments
releaseOn GitHub Release creationPublish packages to npm/PyPI

Secrets management

Store sensitive values (API keys, tokens, passwords) in Repository Settings -> Secrets and variables -> Actions. Reference them in workflows with ${{ secrets.MY_SECRET }}. Secrets are masked in logs; never print them directly. Organization-level secrets can be shared across multiple repositories.

Popular marketplace actions

ActionPurpose
actions/checkout@v4Check out repository code
actions/setup-node@v4Install Node.js
actions/cache@v4Cache dependencies (npm, pip, etc.)
docker/build-push-action@v5Build and push Docker images
peaceiris/actions-gh-pages@v3Deploy to GitHub Pages

Frequently asked questions

Where does the generated file go?

Save the YAML as .github/workflows/<name>.yml in your repository root. GitHub Actions will pick it up automatically.

Does this support matrix builds?

This builder generates a single-job workflow. For matrix builds (multiple Node versions), you can edit the YAML to add a strategy.matrix section.

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